


Happy Birthday

by orphan_account



Series: CHALLENGE: Quote Prompts [3]
Category: Dancing with the Stars (US) RPF, Valdaya
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 13:19:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3693740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zendaya gives Val his birthday present before she leaves Aventine.</p><p>My third fic (of fifty) for the Quote Prompt Challenge. This is #23: “Just once.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> This is fiction, not reality.

“Hey, we’re leaving,” Zendaya said, leaning over the back of Val’s chair and laying a hand on his shoulder.  As though drawn to her touch, he reached up and covered her hand with his, linking their fingers before finally looking up at her.  Their faces were so close that she could feel his breath on her mouth and she swallowed before taking a stepbackwards.  He was her kryptonite, a weakness greater than ice cream, but this was not the place to succumb to it.  

Val slid his chair back and stood, reaching out to hug Zink and thank her for coming.  Zendaya watched as her niece embraced him tightly and wished him a loud “happy birthday” over the din in the restaurant.  Zink had seen Val on numerous occasions, the latest of which had been a family dinner hosted by Claire and Kaz. He had become a pretty steady fixture in all of their lives over the last two years.

Her dad was next, shaking Val’s hand and teasing him about his age.  Val’s smile tightened a bit around the edges, but Zendaya knew that she was probably the only one to notice.  She just knew him that well.  His eyes flickered over towards her and she knew exactly what he was thinking about.  

_I’m not as young as I used to be, Z.  I’m not asking for much.  I just want to be able to kiss my girlfriend in public and hold her hand without having to hide it.  Just once._

It hadn’t been an argument, just a discussion that had been a long time coming.  The horrible part was that she wanted it too, more than he probably realized.  But she was afraid of the fallout, not just for herself but for him too.  He was finally finding his stride with  _Dancing With the Stars_ and Sway and the absolute last thing she wanted to do was jeopardize that.  It was also partially about her own career.  She was afraid that people would judge her based on what they assumed about her relationship with Val instead of the reality, as well as everything else that she had to offer.  

But he was right. Constantly hiding was getting old.

Claire stepped up as Kaz moved away and Zendaya watched as Val held her close.  He said something into her ear and smiled, making her mom laugh.  Both of their faces were radiant with happiness as she leaned back to look at him.

As they spoke to each other over the dull roar of conversation, Zendaya looked around the room. They were in the back of the restaurant in a private room, separated from the other diners and the paparazzi that stood watch outside. There were no windows, only an open doorway. The dirty dishes had been collected and the waiters and waitresses were all back out in the main dining area helping with the dinner rush.  

They were surrounded by close friends and family.  No one else was in the room.  Everyone there already knew.  

Val glanced over at her, his forehead wrinkling in confusion as he noticed, what must have been, a wild expression on her face.  He and her mom exchanged another round of “happy birthdays” before he moved over to her.  

“Babe, what is it?”

“I…I have something for you.”

“We talked about no presents this year,” he said.  “And technically you already broke that promise by helping with the surprise party.”

Distracted for the moment, she asked, “Are you enjoying it?”

He nodded.  “Of course.”

“Then don’t complain.”

He smiled at her, glancing around the room before carefully taking her hand in his.  “Just seeing you and being with you is more than enough for me.”

“Val?”

“What?”

“Stop talking.” She leaned in, kissing him lightly on the lips before he could say anything else.  She had built up the courage to do this and she planned on carrying it out.  

It wasn’t anything more than a short peck, but it was enough to gain a reaction.  Or it would have been had there actually been a reaction.  Pulling away, she looked over Val’s shoulder at everyone else.  The conversations had continued on as they had been.  No one pointed or yelled biting words at them. The world had not imploded because they had kissed in public.  It continued turning as it always had.    

Looking back at Val, she saw that he looked surprised and a little dazed.  It almost seemed like he had been given an electric shock when he wasn’t expecting it.  And, to be fair, he hadn’t been.  

“Daya…” he breathed.

“I love you,” she said simply, as though that short statement held all the answers in the world. His eyes softened and he gently pushed her hair back from her face.  Wrapping his arms around her, he hugged her to him.  

“I love you too,” he whispered in her ear.  She nuzzled his neck, breathing him in as she realized that she hadn’t felt this content in a long time.  

“Happy birthday.”


End file.
